STAND. COM. REP. NO. 158-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1339

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 1339 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require, for fixed-term tenancies, a landlord to notify a tenant of any intent to raise the rent for any subsequent rental agreement or any intent to terminate a rental agreement ninety days or one hundred twenty days before the expiration of the original rental agreement, depending on the length on the tenancy; and

(2) Increase the required notice period for the intent to raise rent and intent to terminate for month-to-month and week-to-week tenancies.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice; Hawai‘i Workers Center; Waipahu Safe Haven Center; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawai‘i Association of REALTORS.

Your Committee finds that under existing law, landlords are only required to provide written notice of the intent to increase rent or terminate a month-to-month or week-to-week tenancy. Those with fixed-term leases have no notice requirement and landlords are only recommended to give notice prior to the lease expiration. While your Committee acknowledges the hardships felt by tenants with month-to-month or week-to-week leases, your Committee believes that the existing notice requirements are sufficient and fair to both parties. However, your Committee believes that there should be a notice requirement for leases that are greater than ninety days.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Reducing the written notice requirements for increasing rent and termination of tenancy for rental agreements of more than ninety days duration from ninety consecutive days to sixty consecutive days;

(2) Deleting language that would have required a written notice to increase rent or terminate a tenancy for rental agreements of more than two years duration;

(3) Reverting to the existing statutory notice requirement about rent increases and termination of tenancies for rental agreements of month-to-month and less than month-to-month duration;

(4) Changing the notice requirement for termination of tenancies for rental agreements with less than month-to-month duration from thirty days to fifteen days;

(5) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(6) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1339, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1339, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Housing,

____________________________

LUKE A. EVSLIN, Chair